Hello, I'm Sylvia, and I'm from Dallas, and I have been a caregiver for seven years.

How did you get into caregiving?I became a caregiver because I truly enjoy taking care of other people. It fills me with so much gratefulness that I'm able to do for myself and that I have the ability and the compassion to want to do for others.

What advice would you provide to a new caregiver?My advice to a new caregiver would be to remember to be punctual. Seniors have nothing but time on their hands and it's important to them that you be there when they need you. A client I will always remember is Hortence, she was my very first client. 102 and a woman of very few words. One day while I was caring for her, she had developed some sort of bite on her leg, and it got large.

Who is one of your most memorable clients?You know, I was a little concerned about it, and she said it was a little painful. So we called her daughter and her daughter said for me to drive her over to the PharmaCare. I took her to the PharmaCare and as we sat and waiting, and again, Hortence is a woman of very few words. She noticed that I had a scar on my knee and she pointed to it. And I said, "Oh, it's an old football injury," and she looked at me kind of puzzled. And I said, "Yeah, I was chasing a football player," and she let out the biggest laugh I had ever heard. And in her very deep, low, raspy voice, she said, "Did you catch him?" I will never forget those words.